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Toronto police ramp up pressure on suspects in playground shooting

“I never thought that last Thursday I would be in the hospital with two girls 9 and 5 shot playing in the playground in their community. Yes, if you all have been watching the news it is my two girls that was shot at Alton Towers by gang member at 5 p.m. … what is this world coming to … you cannot send your kid out side to play wow young black men need to go to school and work and stop picking up guns and be in gang … stop trying to get fast money. Something has to stop. This getting out of hand now…”

June 28:

“My girls are home now and we on road healing thank you … keep them in your prayers.”

The mother of two young sisters, shot a in small neighbourhood playground in Scarborough, has not spoken to the media since the brazen, reckless attack. One girl struck in the stomach, one girl struck in the ankle. Multiple surgeries for both of them in the days since.

But mom has shown her cracked heart on social media.

The best news is that the sisters were discharged from Sick Kids on Thursday and are recovering at home.

They and many other kids remain traumatized, though, as Det.-Sgt. Jim Gotell reminded during a Friday morning update about the investigation.

One individual, 21-year-old Sheldon Eriya, was taken into custody within 18 hours of an event which shook the city to its marrow, after police found the rented vehicle believed used by the gunmen. He has been charged with seven offences, including attempted murder.

Two more suspects are still out there, likely being sheltered somewhere in the GTA by friends, associates or family. They have been identified as Tarrick Rhoden and T’Quan Robertson, both 23. Armed and dangerous.

“The Toronto Police Service would like to caution members of the public that anybody who provides assistance to Mr. Robertson or Mr. Rhoden may be guilty of an offence called accessory after the fact and this offence is punishable by up to 14 years in jail,” warned Gotell.

Cops have been doggedly looking for the suspects since a Canada-wide warrant was issued for their arrest, both wanted on a slew of charges including attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder and aggravated assault.

Investigators have learned plenty about the men from information brought forth by the community, some of whom have admitted they would not have assisted police before.

“I actually had someone who said in a letter to police that normally they would not contact police with information about a shooting like this,” said Gotell. “But this one ‘crossed the line,’ end quote.”

Photographs of the suspects are in wide circulation. Their usual haunts are known, their “lifestyle pattern” delineated. They cannot stay off the radar much longer.

“We’ve been watching a lot of places. I think these gentlemen would probably agree with me, to say that we’ve been putting a lot of pressure on places that they frequent, people that they know. We have been looking very hard for them and they know we’ve looking very hard for them.”

There is surveillance video showing the “chaos and confusion” at the scene that afternoon, youngsters screaming and running from the playground when gunfire — at least 10 bullets discharged — erupted. Among those present was the alleged target, with his own child. That person, whose life surely remains in danger, hasn’t come forward yet either.

“We are still looking for the intended target of the shooting,” said Gotell, adding that they’ve followed up on anybody who has gone to emergency suffering from a gunshot wound, none of whom turned out to be their guy. “We know who he is and we have been looking for him for the past two weeks. Initially, we were obviously concerned about his well-being. We wanted to make sure he hadn’t been shot in this. We do not believe he’s been injured. However, we still want to speak to him because he might be able to provide us with information as to where these two (other) people might be.”

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There is, as well, a YouTube video that was posted on June 13 in which Robertson — also known as “Top Gunna” — is interviewed on We Love Hip Hop about his music and background growing up in Toronto.

With record-level homicides in the city over the past couple of months, the shootings (and stabbings) almost feel like they start running into each other, a blur of victims and suspects and the arrested.

But this one was clearly different because of the stunning disregard for innocent lives — of children — who were playing in the park. Kids, said Gotell, who have since been suffering from nightmares and afraid to return to the playground.

Originally it appeared that one shooter and, possibly, a driver were involved, firing over and through a perimeter fence, from atop an adjacent berm.

Police now say there were two shooters and two guns, neither of which have been recovered.

“We are alleging that there were three people involved in the shooting,” said Gotell. “That one of the three people drove a vehicle to the scene and inside the vehicle were two men. We are alleging that two men got out of the vehicle, both of them were armed with handguns and both of them fired into the playground.”

Adding: “The potential does exist for these guns to be used again. That’s why I’m concerned that both Rhoden and Robertson may be armed and are dangerous and they may pose a threat to either law enforcement who try to arrest them or other members of the public who inadvertently get in their way.”

If investigators have ascertained a motive for the shooting, they’re not sharing it.

The suspects, if spotted, should not be approached by the public. Direct any tips 42 Division or Crime Stoppers.

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